Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Should you feel an American moment coming on, get straight into the mood at a TGI Friday's. First thought of in New York in 1965, introduced to Birmingham, UK in 1986, they now, like so many other American concepts, are to be found on a global basis and have 48 outlets in the UK alone. According to Newsweek and The Saturday Evening Post, the opening of the first Friday's restaurant heralded the dawn of the singles age.

In many ways, TGIs are more representative of the American approach to eating out than some of their imitators. Their food is fresh, the portions generous and the cocktail list exhaustive. They also tend to represent the all-American classlessness that can produce a meal at any time, for any social group, for any reason, under the same roof, without a problem.

So what's on offer? The quick answer is, it depends rather on where you are, as menus do vary from one restaurant to another, but the essential message stays the same - American grub, fella! Appetizers - no starters please - could include Jack Daniel's wings, chicken wings coated in Jack Daniel's sweet 'n' smoky glaze, or spinach and artichoke hearts coated in a rich and creamy cheese sauce, served with crisp corn tortillas.

For a group assault try the Times Square big share, more of Jack Daniel's wings, cheese and bacon skins to the very brim, with crispy breaded mozzarella dippers and served with a battery of accoutrements.

The steaks are awesome, topping out with a 12oz rib eye. A range of burgers, ribs, chicken, fish, sandwiches, fajitas, salads and pasta embraces virtually every known twist in the repertoire of American cuisine. Chocolate fudge fixation perhaps sums up best, but by no means exclusively, the TGI approach to desserts.

From a list of over 500 cocktails, all mixed with exuberant charm, let's take just one. You thought Long Island Iced Tea was something polite Americans sipped after some gentle sailing? Think again. Vodka, gin, rum and orange liqueur, topped up with Coke, spin and pour. The popular drink was in fact, invented by TGIF. As with all cocktails you can choose between regular or ultimate, no questions asked. Beer, wine and soft drinks cover enormous range and they also offer good coffee.

It is not important which outlet of TGIF you visit, for if you enjoy the American style of eating, just look out for red and white stripes and you are likely to be happy.

To locate a Friday's nearest to you and get the world famous Friday feeling on any day of the week click on their Website.

Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.

Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.

An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.

Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.

By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.

Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.

The sheer flamboyance of the décor matches expertly with the food at Salieri, right from the potted plants and the masks and theatre memorabilia to the French and Mediterranean inspired cuisine. Proximity to the Strand colours the interior with theatrical nostalgia; photographs, mirrors, gold curtains and antiquity style statues are part of this extravaganza. The theatre menu offers immense value for a Central London restaurant and is a popular alternative for diners.

The à la carte could bring starters of smoked salmon and crayfish with mixed leaf salad and dressing followed by cutlets of Welsh lamb with oriental rice and grilled courgettes. Other interesting options for main course include slow cooked leg of pork glazed with honey and brandy or whole lobster Thermidor. End with a decadent trio chocolat, layers of white, milk and dark chocolate mousse on a sponge base dusted with cocoa. The global wine list has some exciting choices, some reasonably priced, and others still within reach.

Cafe Pasta may be part of a large chain of restaurants, but it is nevertheless a stylish eatery with a relaxed cafe feel. The straightforward menu specialises in Italian fare and it does not limit itself to pastas alone, but goes on to list a range of grills, salads and risottos, and twelve inch stone baked pizzas among other popular dishes. Food is prepared on order, so special requests from customers are cheerfully accommodated.

So gear up for a meal of smooth duck liver and port pâté with crostini and caramelised red onions, grilled fillet of sea bass with fennel risotto, rocket and lemon, roasted banana and toffee cheesecake with vanilla dairy ice cream.

The pleasant Mediterranean hues and friendly service make it a good location to catch up with friends. Hot beverages, soft drinks, beer and wine are available through the day, making this a suitable location for anything from an enjoyable meal to a snack at any time of the day.

Start with a cocktail, say a bourbon cookie, cosmopolitan or a parson green apple before tackling some food that will vary from pub to pub. There are bar meals, try lime and coriander chicken in Didsbury, or a more formal approach in restaurant style, what about 21 day hung, 10 oz British sirloin steak in Mayfair, with homemade chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce in Birmingham. In general the menus are very similar, with plenty of choices all round.

There are now over twenty five branches of Pitcher and Piano where you can be assured of the same decent levels of food and drinks, service and quality. Surely that's better than the lucky dip approach?

If your culinary conception of London is built around expensive restaurants or not-so-expensive-less-quality eateries then think again, as there are still places like Byron that offer some good value food to those on a tight budget. Well, how can anyone go wrong with a burger, you may ask, but this burger chain is not just about a slab of meat slapped between two halves of a bun, here the meat is sourced from small farms, the cattle roam freely in the Scottish Highlands, and the hamburgers are freshly ground every day; surely it can't get more simple than that.

The menu opens up an abundance of inexpensive delights, starting with burgers stuffed with dry cure bacon, mature cheddar, Byron sauce, or corn fed chicken fillet with tomato, mayo and baby spinach. Their salads are a wonderful melange of fresh ingredients such as squash and feta unified by garlic and parsley dressing, and buffalo mozzarella and Portobello mushroom with crispy bacon, almonds and cos lettuce dressed with honey balsamic. Desserts include the indulgent banoffee pie and caramel and honeycomb sundae.

Every week, from Tuesday to Sunday, Storm Nightclub in Leicester Square plays host to some of the best stand ups in London in a vibrant and friendly fun environment. DJs get the party rocking every night. For food and drink, guests can enjoy a modern international menu.

Storm's culinary selection includes such dishes as honey roasted ham, smoked roast pork, asparagus and sweet corn quiche, lemon and coriander cous cous, diced potato and chive salad, mini cocktail sausages with apple sauce, pink salmon terrine and bbq chicken wings. The stage is set for the evening by a range of cocktails with combinations of dark rum, ginger beer, vodka, Chambord, gin and tequila. Caipiroska is vodka mixed with muddled lime and sugar while berry cool has a medley of berries shaken with vodka, lemon juice and sugar. There's also a choice of premium bottled beers and spirits.

Dial Restaurant and Bar in the heart of Covent Garden is housed in one of the city's premier luxury hotels, within walking distance of the central shopping area. The subdued yet luxurious interior is adorned in a contemporary mix of chocolate leather and aubergine velvet, with deep sofas and sleek wenge tables. Well-known among the advertising and media circles, Dial also plays host to West End first night parties.

The cooking is a contemporary expression of British cuisine and the menu is knee-deep with favourites such as smoked haddock fishcake in light batter with lemon mayonnaise; haunch of venison steak with celeriac mash, girolles and juniper berry sauce, and baked thin apple tart and toffee sauce. Those who don't have much time to spare could tuck into some of their light dishes of potted salt beef with Melba toast, or grilled lamb, chicken and salmon skewers with sweet chilli sauce. From the grill selection the Yorkshire pork oozing with flavour is not to be missed, served here with mashed potatoes and grain mustard sauce.